A Fantastic Introduction to Christian Metaphysics (A Review of William Hasker’s ‘Metaphysics’)

Why Metaphysics?

For most people, philosophy and Christian metaphysics are subjects that are best left to the ivory tower. They have little practical application and are too obtuse to be of any real use. And yet, they underlie everything that we believe and everything that we do. Whether we realize it or not, we are philosophical beings. The problem is that we seldom stop to reflect on what we really believe and why we believe it.

Over the past few years I’ve given more thought to
philosophy and its purpose. And as I’ve read and meditated, I’ve concluded that
there is a great deal of value in thinking deeply about philosophical questions.
Last year I read ‘Philosophy of Religion’ from the Contours of Christian Philosophy
series that’s put out by IVP Academic. Though basic, it served as a good
introduction to the big questions about religion. For example, are there good reasons
to believe in God? Are miracles possible? What place does religion have the ‘modern’
world? These are questions that every Christian should consider, give deep
thought to, and come to conclusions regarding.

Since I wanted to dive more deeply into philosophy, I
decided to read another book from the series, Contours of Christian Philosophy.
This time I chose the book ‘Metaphysics’ by William Hasker. I’ve been intrigued
by the topic of metaphysics recently as I’ve contemplated the fact that much of
the disagreement between atheists and Christians comes from a difference in
their beliefs about reality itself. It’s not so much a question of having
evidence for God and not having evidence for God. it’s more a question about how
we understand what is real and what isn’t.

Five Metaphysical Topics…

This question of the “real” is exactly what Hasker deals
with in ‘Metaphysics.’ This fact is put clearly at the very beginning of the
book, where Hasker writes, “’What is there?’ According to an eminent
philosopher these simple words suffice to formulate the central question of all
metaphysics.”

And so, Hasker spends five chapters examining free will, the
mind-body connection, the nature of the world, and the nature of God as well as
his relation to creation. In each chapter he examines the major schools of
thought on each topic. He gives an evenhanded assessment of the various
positions, including arguments for as well as objections against. And though it
is fairly obvious where he falls at the end of each chapter, he is never
dogmatic or preachy.

Do Humans Have Free Will?

I believe he makes a good case for the existence of free
will despite objections from some philosophers and scientists. Not only does he argue that determinism leads
to a denial of all rationality, he also does a fantastic job of showing the
incoherence of compatibilism (the idea that genuine free will can exist
alongside determinism). With all of that said, he doesn’t let Christian free will
advocates off scott-free. He recognizes that a belief in free will alongside belief
in an all-knowing God begs the question of how God can know what will happen in
the future without causing it. He gives the classic, Christian answer: divine
timelessness. I’m sure that won’t satisfy everyone but it does satisfy me.

How Are Our Minds And Bodies Connected?

In the chapter on the mind or soul, Hasker first lays out
the positions of dualism and materialism. Here you will find a standard case
for both positions – with both their difficulties and strength. But then he
submits an alternative to these two positions: emergentism. Whereas materialism
says that human beings are made up solely of physical ‘stuff’ and dualism says that
we are a spiritual being encased in a physical body, emergentism argues that
our consciousness – our soul – emerges from our physical brain and nervous
system. And though this might sound odd at first, Hasker relates the idea
(convincingly in my opinion) to that of gravity. Gravitational and magnetic
fields emerge from physical objects. But once they exist they are no longer necessarily
tied to those objects. Hasker puts forward the example of a black hole which
begins as a physical object whose gravitational field “squeezes the generating
object out of existence” (Hasker p.75). Whether or not you find the comparison
of the soul to gravity convincing I think it’s at least an interesting thought.

What Is Real In This World?

In the fourth chapter, Hasker examines the question of the ‘world’.
He looks at both realism as well as idealism including forms of each. I found
this chapter to be the least helpful. This is probably because to me, idealism
seems to be self-evidently false. With that said it does include a few short
words about the nature of the universe and whether it had a beginning or not. This
is a question that’s important for metaphysics and for theology. After all, if
the universe had a beginning then it seems to follow that there had to be a ‘beginner.’

Is There A God – And What Is He Like?

The final chapter of the book deals with the question of God.
Hasker looks at naturalism, pantheism, panentheism, and theism. As always he
lays out a fair case for each position and naturally concludes that theism makes
the most sense of the world that we live in. But that is to be expected from a
Christian philosopher.

A Christian Metaphysic?

In the epilog, Hasker looks at metaphysics from a more Christian perspective and notes that there are no real ‘Christian metaphysics’, though there are metaphysical answers that mesh better with Christianity. He concludes by arguing that Christian metaphysics must view God from a theistic perspective, must speak of creation as real and tangible, and must recognize the image of God in man.

In Summary…

Overall, Hasker’s book is a great first step in developing Christian metaphysics. Though I think it’s important to reiterate the fact that he is rarely if ever dogmatic. This is not a book of Christian theology. It is a book that calls us to answer the big questions of life. What is God like? What are we, as humans, made up of? Do we have free will or are our actions pre-determined? If you’ve never given these questions any thought, Hasker’s book will offer you an opportunity to do so.

Whether you read this book or not, reflecting on these questions is well worth your time. As Socrates once said, ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.” So start examining – and start living more fully.

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